I have an old Specialized Mountain Bike that I'm stripping down and painting. I need to remove the crank and gears to get a clean paint. I see that there are a couple crank pullers to choose from. I don't want to buy the wrong one and I was wondering what to look for to decipher which one that I need. Please help. The bike is from the 90's. It's my first full teardown of a bike. It's nerve wracking and exciting at the same time. Also, when I'm putting it back together, is there anything I should update while I have the chance to do so such as the brake/shifter cables, chain etc? Being a newbie I need to call upon the bikesperts.

I should mention that the crankset is a shimano deore crankset. I found this puller which says it works on square taper, Octalink, ISIS Drive and one-key release cranks. Sounds like it would cover just about anything and it's only 10 bucks. Thoughts? Link is here.... https://www.performancebike.com/bikes...551_1030376_-1

Can you tell us exactly which "Deore" crank you have? If you look on the backside of the crankarm, you should see a model number (e.g., "FC-M530"). This will narrow down which type of bottom bracket interface your crank has.

most likely square taper

It's actually a Shimano Acera. With as old as it is, I think you may be right with the square taper. I tried to find the model number but tono avail. Also, in looking at it, I found that several of the teeth were worn down so it wouldn't be a bad idea to replace both the chain and the crank. It's a nice light mountain bike frame. Thanks for your replies.

It's almost certainly a square taper. However, the "worn teeth" you are seeing may be intentional. Modern cranks have several specifically shaped teeth to assist shifting. Badly worn chainrings have the teeth worn to sharp points and look like a saw blade. They don't wear them down or flat.

Unless you have a LOT of miles on the bike and under harsh conditions, it is unlikely the chainrings are worn to the point of needing replacement.

Assuming you have a square taper (which seems to be the consensus), the above Performance tool should work fine.

I am partial and have this one:
https://www.parktool.com/products/det...=26&item=CWP-7

The Park Tool is nicely machined and has a very solid feel. You need to use your own wrench with it but has a real good secure & solid feel to it. The adjustable wrench is usually nearby since it is used to secure the tool into the crank.

I also has have two Park crank extractors with built in handle (one for square taper, one for ISIS/Octalink) but I prefer the CWP77.